The Mk. IX replaced the Mk. V in June 1942 and on September 12, 1942 a Mk. IX brought down a Ju-86R flying at 43,000 feet. Another major achievement of the Mk. IX took place on October 5, 1944 when 401 Squadron became the first allied aircraft to shoot down an Me-262 jet. Even with the arrival of the Griffon powered Mk. XIV the Mk. IX continued in service until the end of WWII. There were 5,665 Mk. IX Spitfires and its variants produced.

On July 10, 1940 the RAF No. 310 (Czech) Squadron was formed equipped with Hawker Hurricane 1s. During the Battle of Britain the squadron scored 37.5 victories. In March 1941 the unit was re-equipped with Hawker Hurricane IIs and in October 1941 was re-equipped with Spitfire IIa and Vb aircraft. 1944 saw the No. 310 Squadron transition to Spitfire IX and became a fighter-bomber unit with the 134 Wing. The 310 provided ground attacks during the Normandy landings. In August 1945 TE565 arrived in Prague and eventually went on display.

1/48 scale pre-finished.Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.Professionally painted.All markings pad applied for superb results.Canopy slides open.Comes with a pilot that can be removed.Comes with display stand.Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down.Propeller is metal.Extremely sought after by collectors.